The Normal Life of Harry Potter
by Osteri
Summary: AU. In a universe where James and Lily Potter were absent on the night of October 31, 1981, and where Professor Quirinus Quirrell never took an year-long sabbatical in the year of 1990 to Albania, Harry Potter was able to enjoy a relatively normal childhood till young adulthood, or as normal as it would ever get for The-Boy-Who-Lived. A focus on the actual school life of Hogwarts.


**Disclaimer**: The world of Harry Potter belongs to JKR.

**AN:** The first chapter will be a little heavier than the rest of the story, since I want to start off with a plausible alternative beginning for this Harry Potter Universe.

Also, I try my best to use British English, but I know I'm not very good at it. I apologize for those of you who find it annoying when I make mistakes.

* * *

Chapter One

"I'm a WHAT?"

* * *

July 30, 1991

It was a bright crisp morning, when Lily Potter was woken up by the sneaky sunlight shinning down on her face. Next to her was her adorable husband, James Potter, who was still softly snoring with both his pillow and the blanket covering his head. With a refreshing stretch and a yawn, she got out of bed, and made her way into the kitchen. On her way to the kitchen, unsurprisingly, she spotted her son, Harry James Potter sitting in the living room, eyes glued to the television.

"Morning, Harry." Harry turned around and flinched.

"Aw mum, you're already awake?" He asked, looking back and forth between the television and his mother.

"Yes, and what have I told you about watching the telly in the morning, young man?" Lily asked, with a stern look on her face.

"But mum, it's the last episode of _Doctor Who_ that I never got to watch! You didn't let me watch it a few weeks ago either. You have to let me watch it today at least." Harry begged, with his best puppy eyes.

"Well as you know, that time we had dinner plans already made with Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus. Plus, I thought you liked hanging out with your godfathers."

"I do, I do. It's just that I've haven't been able to watch it for so long, and who knows when they're going to re-air it again."

"Alright fine. Finish watching, and then come help me in the kitchen".

"Yes! Thanks mum, you're the best." Harry happily turned back to _Doctor Who _with Sylvester McCoy running around, while Lily left the scene rolling her eyes.

Normally, she would have given her son a bit more chastising for disobeying her, once again. However, she decided to be easy on him, since today was the day when James and she decided to reveal to Harry that he may be, well, a wizard.

Choosing to hide in the muggle world had been a tough decision to make. However, considering everything that had happened, and could happen, James and she decided that the muggle world would be the safest solution for her son, the famous Boy-Who-Lived. As Lily looked back on the night of Halloween 10 years ago, the memory gave her an involuntary shiver.

_October 31, 1981_

Lily was running as fast as she could towards her childhood home in Cokeworth, with a determined look on her face, which hid her true emotions of fear and worry.

Just 20 minutes earlier, she had been at Longbottom Manor with Alice, happily preparing for the Halloween party that their families were planning to celebrate together, along with a few friends from the Order.

When noise was heard near the front of the manor, Lily was surprised that James and company were an hour early, but Alice simply laughed it off, joking about how James could not stay away from his wife for more than 2 hours. When Lily retaliated with a mild curse, Alice laughed as she dodged, quickly lowering the wards around the manor, and leaving the kitchen to greet the guests. Lily finished washing her hands, and was about to leave the kitchen when she ran into Frank. His face was pale, and cold sweat could be seen on his forehead. He firmly grabbed Lily's shoulder and uttered three words before he left. _Death Eaters. Neville. Run._

As much as she wanted to stay and help Frank and Alice, she knew it would be wiser to listen to Frank, and call for backup. She quickly ran to the bedroom where Neville was fast asleep in his crib. She took the baby in her arms, quickly casted the Disillusionment Charm on the both of them, slipped out of the backdoor, then ran as fast as she could till she was out of the anti-apparation ward zone. Once she was far away, she casted a Patronus to send a message to Dumbledore, and James. Afterwards, she apparated to Cokeworth, and was running as fast as she could towards her parents' home.

When she was at the front door, she stopped dead. The door was slightly open, and no noise could be heard from the house. She ran in, fearing what she may find inside. After checking the lower floor, she ran up to her parents' room, and saw her nightmares come true. She dropped to her knees, and the tears she had been holding back fell endlessly as she cradled the dead body of her mother. Only when Neville started crying, did she realize that she was still holding the baby. Snapping out of her sorrow, she quickly looked around the room for Harry. Harry was still in his crib, looking at the whole scene with an innocent look on his face. She quickly picked Harry out from his crib, and decided to leave the house. She spared her mother one last longing look, before she left.

With two babies in her care, she decided her best option was to hide, until she received news. She settled for a rundown hotel in the middle of a small muggle town, hoping to lose any Death Eaters that may have followed her. As seconds turned into minutes, she started to feel the panic that she had been suppressing. She had absolutely no idea what was going on. James and his friends were supposed to pick Harry up from her parent's house, before coming to the party. However the Death Eaters had attacked the Longbottom's Manor, her mother was found dead, and Harry was miraculously alive. She watched over the two babies sleeping on the bed, while she paced around the room, her wand firmly grasped in her hand. She tried not think about her mother, fearing that she might break down, when she needed her mind to be sharp and alert.

After half an hour of pacing, Dumbledore's patronus finally came to deliver news. Voldemort had attacked Cokeworth, while the Death Eaters had attacked Longbottom Manor. Frank and Alice who had been found unconscious, were taken to St. Mungo's, while James, Sirius, and Remus were out searching for Pettigrew. When Dumbledore asked Lily to come to Hogwarts and take refuge there, without a second thought, she apparated into Hogsmeade.

.-.

Dumbledore was sitting in his office, troubled by the recent events. The Potters were betrayed, and the Longbottoms were attacked. He was still sitting at his desk, deep in thoughts, when he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in." Lily walked into Dumbledore's office, two bundles of cloth in her arms, while her pale face was full of worry. "Ah, Lily my dear. There are no words I can offer that would lessen your sorrows, but I still wish to say that I am truly sorry about Mrs. Evans." Dumbledore's face creased with concern.

"What happened at Cokeworth? I left with Harry as soon as possible after I found my... what exactly happened?" Lily's voice sounded tired, and rather monotone, betraying no emotion. At that moment, James and Sirius entered the room. James who quickly spotted his wife and his son, ran up to give them a hug. Sirius collapsed in a nearby chair, with cuts and bruises visible all over his body. After giving the two Potters a moment, Dumbledore continued on.

"It seems as if Voldemort decided to confront both Harry and Neville, the two children who fit the prophecy. He sent the Death Eaters to the Longbottoms, and he himself went to Cokeworth." Dumbledore paused for a moment, before continuing, "it may be hard to believe, but it is my guess that it was Harry who destroyed Voldemort."

"Harry? How could my son kill Voldemort?" James interrupted.

"That is a mystery that I have yet to figure out." Dumbledore replied calmly. "Now, I have a few questions about Harry... does he have any scar, or any markings?"

Lily's blood ran cold. Harry did in fact have a scar. It was a lightning bolt shaped scar that was carved on his forehead. Lily slowly nodded, keeping eye contact with Dumbledore. "Why do you ask?"

Dumbledore sighed at her question and closed his eyes.

"I feared as much" He said softly, talking more to himself, than to the people in the room. Focusing back on Lily, he continued "It's the prophecy my dear."

"The prophecy? Albus, what did the prophecy exactly say? You never told anyone of us, and we need to know." James demanded. Sirius remained silent, quietly blaming this mess on himself for suggesting to make the secretkeper, Peter Pettigrew.

Dumbledore stayed silent for a minute. It looked as though he wasn't going to answer, but suddenly he whispered into the quiet.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives."

Lily's blood ran cold. _Power to vanquish the Dark Lord? Either must die at the hands of the other? _

The room became silent as neither Lily nor James knew what to make of the full prophecy.

At that moment, a knock at the door broke the atmosphere, and the tired figure of Remus Lupin entered the office.

"I tried to follow his scent, but it stops at a river close to the ministry. I'm sorry." Remus took a seat near Sirius, not knowing what else to say. James, who came out of his shock was the first one to speak.

"Don't worry, Moony. We'll catch him soon enough. And, I'm sorry for doubting you."

"Same. Sorry for doubting you, mate." Sirius added. Remus gave James and Sirius a tight smile in response. In reality, it did hurt a lot that his friends had assumed that he might be a traitor. However, at that moment, that issue was not his primary concern. Remus changed his focus to Lily, who had a determined look on her face, which all the Marauders knew well.

"James, we need to hide."

"Lily dear, we are already in-"

"I mean hide out in the muggle world." Lily interrupted. James gave her a questioning look. "James, as long as we stay a part of the magical community, we are bound to face danger after danger. Even if Voldemort has been defeated, there are still Death Eathers out there, who might be seeking revenge. Also, I don't want Harry having to grow up with all this- the war, the fame, the responsibility of the prophecy, and I think it's only possible if we cut all ties with the magical community." James looked outraged.

"What about Hogwarts? Lily, Harry is meant to be a part of this world, whether you like it or not. You can't just cut him from his magic. I know it's dangerous for Harry, but you and I will be there for him.

"And so will we." Sirius added, while Remus nodded to Sirius' statement.

"Fine. But until he gets his Hogwarts letter, we will be hiding in the muggle world" Lily concluded.

"What-" James was ready to argue but Dumbledore interrupted.

"I agree with Lily. It would be best for both his physical safety and well-being, if Harry was unaware of all this until he was old enough to handle the information."

"Thank you, Albus", Lilly replied, while James sighed in defeat. Both Remus and Sirius sat there quietly, knowing it wasn't there place to intervene. James looked towards his best mates.

"What about Sirius, and Remus?" he asked. Dumbledore decided to let Lilly choose the fate of their friendship.

"They may come visit." James let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding. "Only under one condition though." Lily looked at both Remus and Sirius. "You two must never reveal to Harry about the wizarding world. All three of you will have to act and learn how to behave like a muggle, or I will have to change my mind", she replied sternly. In all honesty, Lily was not concerned about Remus. It was Sirius she was concerned about. However, she trusted the man enough to know how important this was for Harry and his future.

.-.

Lily's train of thought was brought back to the present by a loud yell that came from her son.

"Mum! I can't believe it finished. I've finally watched the last episode, and now it's over."

"Well, maybe they'll do another season." Lily replied, as she cracked another egg into the frying pan.

"No, I don't think so, but who knows? Anyways, why can't my life be full of adventure like the show? The most exciting thing that ever happens to me are my dreams. In my dreams, people can fly, _and_ people can do magic…" Harry started rambling on and on, like he always did when he talked about his dreams.

"Well, isn't that a nice dream", Lily commented nervously. "Talking about magic… your father and I want to talk to you about something very important." Right at that moment, James entered yawning, and scratching his chin.

"Lilybuns, today is the big day isn't it?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"What big day? You mean my birthday? My birthday is tomorrow, dad." Harry stated. Lily ignored Harry's comment, and replied to her husband rather nervously.

"Yes it is, and I have been thinking about it, and I think it would be best if you do the honor of telling him about _it_." Lily replied.

"Me? Why me? This was all your plan to begin with." James whined.

"Can you guys stop talking about me in third person, when I'm clearly present?" Harry interrupted. James looked at Lily once more time and then shrugged.

"Well why don't we start by having breakfast, and call in Moony and Padfoot. One of them can do the honor of telling him." James concluded.

"Tell me what? I don't get it?" Harry asked, starting to get annoyed, and extremely curious.

.-.

After breakfast was finished, Harry found himself back in the living room. As usual, the dark wooden floor was spick and span, while the thick maroon curtains near the television, danced along with the wind, against the pale cream colored wall filled with family portraits. However, instead of feeling comfortable, Harry felt claustrophobic, being surrounded on all sides by his mum, dad, Uncle Moony, and Uncle Padfoot.

His mother, who worked as a librarian at the local library, was wearing a simple white sweater. Meanwhile, his dad and his two uncle were wearing matching black shirts with a logo on the right, which was their uniform for the small magic shop that they owned near his home. Despite being a small store, the shop sold almost everything that was related to magic tricks, such as cards, magician hats, and etc. Ever since Harry was young, his mother for some reason had disapproved of the business. While his father, who usually never went against his mother's words, was adamant about doing it. Even though many years had past since the shop was established, it was still a sensitive topic for both adults.

Harry, who was sitting on the couch with his arms folded, was extremely annoyed as all the adults seemed to pass the duty of telling him about the "it", like it was a game of hot potatoes.

He was looking up at the white ceiling, doing his best to ignore the adults, while his mum sat there smiling, with a smug smile on her face. Meanwhile, Remus was studying his stick that he pulled out after Lily, while Sirius took a big breath before he stuck his hand into the tin can. Once he pulled out a normal length stick, he let out a cry of joy.

"Yes! I'm safe. Whoo! Seems like you're the loser, mate." Sirius shouted, handing James the short stick that was left in the tin can. James shook his head in fury.

"Wait a minute, you guys all cheated! You can feel the length of the stick, before you pull it out!" He yelled.

"Of course. Therefore we were all mildly pleased and surprised when you volunteered to go last." Remus stated, trying his best to hide a smile.

"So... can we start talking about the "it" now? Since you've finally chosen a person to tell me", Harry asked wearily. James gave his wife and friends one last glare, before he sighed, and faced his son.

"Alright, here we go...", James said slowly, "well Harry, you...are a wizard." In response, Harry paused for a moment, his mouth opened like a fish, before he decided to ask for clarification.

"Sorry...I'm a what? I don't think I heard you properly."

"You're a wizard, Harry." Lily answered softly.

For a moment, Harry's face conveyed nothing but shock, until his mouth formed a smile. Then to the adult's dismay, Harry started laughing hysterically.

"Oh…oh that was a good one. For a moment, I almost believed you, dad." Harry wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. "Mum, I never knew you'd partake on a prank. You guys almost had me there. I would have almost believed it, but Uncle Sirius tipped me a week ago that one of you guys are going to pull a joke like this one day." Harry was finally calming down after his fit of laughter. Meanwhile, Lily was fuming.

"Sirius...you did what?!" Lily yelled. Now Harry was starting to get worried. His mom was clearly overreacting about Sirius tipping him off on this joke. Sirius had a nervous smile on his face.

"Now, now look Lily, we were going to tell him soon anyway, so I didn't see the harm of having a little fun..." Sirius decided to run instead of finishing his sentence. Meanwhile Remus was shaking his head, and James was playing with his fingers, deciding to let Lily do all the punishing.

By then, Harry was starting to get suspicious. This was not how he pictured the prank would end. He hesitated before he decided to ask Remus.

"So Uncle Remus, I'm getting a little confused here. What's going on?" Remus smiled down at the young boy.

"Well Harry, we actually weren't joking. You _are_ a wizard."

"...

"I'm a WHAT?"


End file.
